1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to roofing construction devices and, more particularly, is concerned with a protective waterproof cover assembly for covering a fastener.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of devices have been developed to improve roofing construction methods. Such devices generally pertain to the installation of roofing panels over a basic underlying roofing structure. Some devices focus particularly on the reinforcement of the panels to one another. Other devices provide protective features for maintaining fasteners within their installed panel positions.
Representative examples of these types of devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. to Rosenberg (2,099,990), Whitman (4,747,241), Carlozzo et al (4,923,348) and Hasan et al (5,018,329). The Rosenberg and Carlozzo et al devices focus, respectively, on reinforcing a fastener head, and on providing a protective cap therefor so as to prevent injury to the fastener and to ensure against moisture leakage thereabout for preventing water damage to a building. The Whitman and Hasan et al devices pertain more generally to reinforcing installed roofing panels. The Whitman device utilizes bonding plates for such reinforcement. The Hasan et al device provides a screw with a composite roofing washer for heat-sealing the screw to a roofing panel or heat-sealing overlapping panels.
None of these devices, however, adequately address the problem of fastener loosening over time due to roofing panel expansion and contraction caused by differing weather conditions. Such expected fastener loosening requires that fastener covers or reinforcers make allowance in some manner for such occurrence so as to prevent breakage of the cover or reinforcer upon such fastener loosening. Additionally, the Rosenberg, Whitman and Hasan et al devices are all rather complex in construction and thus costly to manufacture. The Whitman and Hasan et al devices, in particular, are fairly complicated to apply, making utilization thereof rather difficult and cumbersome, even for a person of ordinary skill in such matters.
Consequently, a need exists for a protective type of fastener cover which is simple in design and construction for inexpensive manufacture and easy to use. The fastener cover should provide an area of clearance therein to allow for the expected loosening of an installed fastener over time, without permitting the fastener to back out completely from its installed position. A roofing panel would thereby be maintained in its proper position on an underlying roofing structure, allowing no gaps to develop between such panels due to misalignment thereof from loss of the installed fasteners.